More on soup, a question about Bing's Bakery and a reader thinks I am "fawning over any restaurant located in Chateau Country." (Ouch!)

You ask. We answer. Most Fridays. Email me at ptalorico@delawareonline.com.

Tum Yum is yummy at Southeast Kitchen

My daughter's absolutely favorite soup is the Tum Yum soup at Southeast Kitchen, 1901 Delaware Ave., Wilmington; (302) 691-7728. This place is a gem in general.

L. Louebeeth

I have eaten banh mi, also known as a Vietnamese hoagie, and summer rolls at Southeast Kitchen, but haven't tried the soup. Sounds like I need to make a trip soon. Thanks. Visit southeastkitchen.net.

Ragin' on some Cajun delights

In reading your article on soups, I either missed it or there wasn't any mention of my childhood standby: tomato soup.

Of course, back then it was Campbell's Condensed Soup, and what made it really good was when Mom used milk instead of water to "de-condense" it. That, along with a grilled cheese sandwich, was a good winter supper.

I wrote about soft-shelled crabs before at Cajun Kate's, but I don't think I wrote about their tomato garlic Parmesan soup. It's absolutely delicious, and comes with garlic croutons and what I'll call a liquid pesto, which makes it even more delicious.

It really goes well with their fried oyster po'boy.

Stan Olson

Stan, we also are fans of Cajun Kate's at Booths Corner Farmers Market, 1362 Naamans Creek Road, Garnet Valley, Pa. The tiny stall, with only six counter seats, is run by chef-owner Don Applebaum, whose background includes stints at Emeril Lagasse's Cafe NOLA in the French Quarter and New Orleans' Aquarium of the Americas. It's only open during the market's hours, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays. Visit www.cajunkates.com.

But, just an FYI, Cajun Kate's "will be closed this weekend for a little rest," according to the website. Come back for a visit on March 14-15 when its Lenten specials will include Gumbo z'Herbes with shrimp and smothered collards.

Looking for an oyster stew

I promised a good friend dinner at a restaurant of her choosing. She said she wanted old-fashioned oyster stew but doesn't know where it is served. Do you have any leads? I live in Landenberg, Pa.

Thank you.

Janet Smith

Janet, I immediately thought of the oyster stew at Henlopen City Oyster House on Wilmington Avenue in Rehoboth Beach; (302) 260-9193; hcoysterhouse.com. But I do realize a trip to Sussex County will be a bit of drive.

You always have the inside scoop. Any word on when the Bakery Boss episode featuring Bing's Bakery in Newark will air?

Carol Allston-Stiles

In late October 2013, "Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro spent several days filming at the Main Street bakery for an upcoming episode of his new TLC series "Bakery Boss." The premise of the series is pastry chef Valastro – whose family owns Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, N.J., and two other New Jersey locations – travels the country helping and giving advice to small, struggling, mostly family-run bakeries.

According to the Bing's Bakery Facebook page, TLC decided to air the upcoming episodes of "Bakery Boss," including the one featuring Bing's, this summer.

"We are disappointed in the delay but understand the network has control of moving things around," they wrote. Bing's said it would share the air date on the bakery's Facebook page as soon as they know when it will be.

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(Photo: KYLE GRANTHAM/THE NEWS JOURNAL)

Recipes were "all a horrible disaster"

I am a fairly accomplished cook and have tried three separate recipes in The News Journal over the years. They were all a horrible disaster.

And, as I said, I can prepare paella, cassoulet, coq au vin, boeuf bourguignon, all seven mole sauces from Oaxaca, Mexico, and am in the process of teaching myself Chinese cooking to name just a few. Oh, and Burmese coconut soup, which you can no longer find here since Amy shuttered her restaurant on 202 many years ago. (I talked her mother into giving me their recipe, as we were regulars.)

I noticed a change in the format of the recipe section in today's paper, and it seemed to indicate that you actually tried the recipe before sharing it with your readership. I think that was what was missing before. Please advise if I am correct.

Sincerely,

Sheryl Rush-Milstead

P.S. Your fawning over any restaurant located in "Chateau Country" is quite noticeable and somewhat disconcerting. It is reminiscent of the olden days when critics were recognized in restaurants, so the chef would prepare exquisite dishes just for them. Not very cricket.

Sheryl, I'm sorry you've been disappointed in recipes. I wish I knew which ones were "disasters" so we could figure out what went wrong. If there are any errors in a recipe, we want to correct them as soon as possible.

Let me address your concerns: We haven't really changed the format of the recipes so much as we have started to include more in the daily print publication.

On March 2013, we started an online-only feature on delawareonline .com called "What's for Dinner?" It has appeared on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The feature, which included either a recipe or a local restaurant suggestion, became popular with readers. Editors decided to run it in the print version of The News Journal as well. It started appearing on March 2 and you'll now find it on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in our Life section.

I try to make many of the recipes we share. However, if I cannot, due to time constraints, I use recipes from trusted sources, such as cookbook authors Ina Garten or Mark Bittman, who are well-known for testing their recipes.

I am puzzled you seem to think that I've been "fawning over any restaurant located in Chateau Country." I've checked our archives and the last eatery I've written about in the Greenville/Centreville area is Centreville Cafe at 5800 Kennett Pike (Del. 52), which started offering an afternoon tea Tuesdays through Thursdays. The column appeared on Feb. 23.

Centreville Cafe's tea, $24.95 per person, is quite a hearty spread as well as being very lovely. So, yes, I feel comfortable recommending it to readers, especially for anyone who visits the "Downton Abbey" costume exhibit, about a mile away, at Winterthur Museum. To make a reservation for tea, call (302) 425-5808.

Before that, a review of Buckley's Tavern, 5812 Kennett Pike, appeared on Jan. 13, 2013. However, it was not written by me, but rather by my former colleague Robert Kalesse, who pointed out some missteps during his meal, including service issues. I would not call that fawning.